


let's go together

by Fandom_Trash224



Series: Earth-224 [1]
Category: DCU, Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Explosions, Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Poisoning, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (DCU), Trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25545493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash224/pseuds/Fandom_Trash224
Summary: A (non-chronological) collection of various members of the Justice League being friends, bc fuck DCbased on my own au, Earth-224(i had posted this once before, deleted it, and now it's back lmao)
Relationships: Arthur Curry & Diana (Wonder Woman), Hal Jordan & Bruce Wayne, Justice League & Bruce Wayne
Series: Earth-224 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851106
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	1. Hal and Bruce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeey okay so. round two of posting this. before, i said i had p much a bunch of chapters lined up. well i scrapped one and need to think of more, so that's not true anymore.
> 
> also please don't ask when i'll update or things like "more plsss", it doesn't motivate me, it just frustrates me. i do like comments tho! 
> 
> anywho, i hope you enjoy!

A Green Lantern ring, technically speaking, was one of the most powerful objects in the known universe. It gave the wearer incredible abilities, like flight, enhanced strength, enhanced stamina, the ability to go on for days without eating or sleeping, and, of course, the ability to create green energy constructs from nothing but pure willpower.

Of course, in order to do  _ any _ of that, one actually had to be  _ wearing _ their ring, which Hal  _ wasn’t _ .

The gala he had been investigating with the various other leaguers was  _ supposed _ to be safe from outside interference, but  _ apparently _ the League of Assassins hadn’t gotten the memo. Hal had heard stories about them from Bruce and his numerous children, but since he had been going off-world more often, he hadn’t had a chance to face down against them personally. Not that he wanted to, really. After all, he had  _ heard _ the stories.

It started like this: Hal had been posing as a member of the press at the gala, a job that  _ normally _ would’ve been reserved for Clark, but something came up, pulling Superman’s attention halfway across the world and leaving a gap in the surveillance. Hal, who had just done his switch-off with Guy, was the only person available, so he was quickly given a fake press badge, fake cover, etcetera, and told to listen in, ask questions, and generally be a nosy and borderline obnoxious reporter.

Hal wasn’t exactly  _ great _ at stealth missions like that one, but he was decent enough that no one had called him into question, so he was pretty damn  _ proud _ , thank you very much. Proud enough, in fact, that he  _ did _ accept a glass of champagne from one of the various waitresses moving through the crowd.

He was halfway through the glass when he realized something was wrong. His vision began to blur, his thoughts slowly growing cloudy as he managed to stumble away from the dance floor, leaving his glass behind. There was  _ no _ way he had drunk that much alcohol with only half a glass of champagne, and Hal knew  _ damn _ well he wasn’t exactly a lightweight, so he managed to piece together the only logical conclusion: He had been poisoned.

The champagne had been poisoned, but by who? And when? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t enjoying how hard it was getting to think about it, so he brought his hand up to the communicator in his ear, barely managing to make it into the (thankfully) empty bathroom as he opened the commline.

“This is Lantern to all points,” Hal gasped out, surprised at how  _ tight _ his throat felt. “I think I’ve been poisoned. I was drinking the champagne, and now--” 

Hal let out a sudden, harsh cough, his throat constricting further as he all but slammed his back against the wall, his legs suddenly giving out beneath him as he did. He hit the floor,  _ hard _ , and he could hear a cacophony of voices over the comms, all talking over each other.

“Lantern,” Bruce’s voice cut through all the others, firm and authoritative. “Where are you?”

“First floor,” Hal’s voice was strained, “Men’s room in the left wing. Be careful.”

After that, Hal’s recollection became fuzzy. He vaguely recalled distant shouting, people screaming, maybe even some fighting, but just  _ trying _ to keep his eyes open was a struggle, much less figuring out what was happening outside the walls of the men’s room. 

Another neat ability that Green Lantern Rings had was, in essence, detoxing. The second that ring was on its owner’s finger, any sort of poison or venom that was affecting them would either be fought back or completely nullified, allowing the Lantern in question to remain stable until proper medical attention could be found. It didn’t work for  _ everything _ , of course (a lesson Hal had found out the hard way), but it worked well enough. All Hal had to do was get the ring out of his pocket and slip it on, and he’d be right as rain.

The only problem with that plan, however, was the fact that Hal’s arms felt like they were made of lead, and it was getting harder and harder to cling to consciousness.  _ Fuck _ .

“Jordan.”

Hal blinked his eyes open, not quite knowing when he had closed them. How long had they been closed? He looked up, squinting at the figure in front of him. Black tux, raven hair slicked back, piercingly judgmental blue eyes laced with concern--

“Bruce?” Hal croaked out, his vision swimming slightly. Bruce knelt down in front of him, and Hal could tell he was saying…  _ something _ into his communicator, but Hal couldn’t quite grasp it. That probably wasn’t a good sign. He could dimly feel Bruce grab his hand, pushing the sleeve of his button-up, gently pressing his fingers against Hal’s wrist. 

Whatever Bruce felt, he must not have liked it, because the millionaire scowled as he pulled his hand away. Under most circumstances, Batman scowling in your direction was  _ not _ a good thing, and would usually be accompanied by a lecture on how stupid you were, but instead of that, Bruce reached into his suit jacket, pulling an injector of some kind from a hidden pocket. 

Always paid to be prepared.

“Be quiet,” Bruce said gruffly, and oh, had Hal said that out loud? “Yes, you did. Now be  _ quiet _ . Focus on staying awake.”

Hal nodded. He could do that. He could do that  _ just _ fine. Of course, he wasn’t sure if what he was thinking was actually what he was saying, and that was an issue, but he could stay awake, sure. Hal could feel the injector prick into his now-bare arm, though he had the distinct impression it was taking something  _ out _ as opposed to actually injecting something. Was there a word for that?

“This isn’t an injector. It’s a toxin analyzer,” Bruce said quietly, and Hal wanted to apologize for talking again, but Bruce looked so worried as he pulled the injector back that he didn’t. “Hey. Eyes on me, Jordan.”

Now  _ that _ was a familiar phrase. It had more-or-less become League Founder code for “I’m here and I’m helping you through this, please trust me”, and of  _ course _ Hal trusted Bruce. Sure, they had so many spats and disagreements that they had to have at least  _ two _ people between them at the meeting table, but Bruce was a good man with a good heart.

Green Lantern and Batman may have had beef, but Hal trusted Bruce with his life, his  _ everything _ , really. It was an unspoken thing, though based on the way Bruce was looking at him with some mixture of friendly fondness and worry, he probably just said it aloud. Whoops.

“Don’t close your eyes,” Bruce chided gently, and Hal managed to pull his eyelids open again. He hadn’t even realized he had closed them.

“Sorry,” Hal slurred. A lightbulb suddenly went off in his mind. “Bruce, my pocket… My ring--”

Bruce nodded, catching on quick, because he always knew exactly what he needed to do when he needed to. Hal watched as Bruce carefully pulled out Hal’s ring from his front pocket, and Hal couldn’t help but note the fact that his hands were shaking slightly. Had he been poisoned, too?

“I’m fine,” Bruce said, though Hal knew him too well to think that was true. “I’m immune to two of the three poisons they used tonight.”

“And the third one?”   
  
Bruce didn’t answer, gingerly lifting up Hal’s hand and placing his ring onto the appropriate finger. A soft flash of green illuminated the room, and Hal was officially in uniform, mask and all. Within seconds, his ring got to work, stabilizing his vitals and helping clear the fog in his mind. 

However, his ring, as powerful as it was, was not a  _ complete _ deus-ex-machina, and Hal could feel sleep pulling at him again. He was distantly aware of Bruce telling him to stay awake, then  _ yelling _ at him to stay awake, but his eyes slipped shut before he could tell Bruce to relax.

And then, everything was black.

\---

The moment Hal returned to the waking world, he let out a loud, drawn-out groan of disapproval as the sterile scent of the Watchtower medbay hit his nose. He  _ hated _ hospitals, even if they were League-approved.

“Jordan,” Bruce’s voice was in that rough, not-quite-Batman-but-also-not-Bruce cadence that usually only popped out when he was having trouble maintaining his composure. “Could you open your eyes for me?”

He really,  _ really _ didn’t want to. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, his whole body felt like he had gone a couple rounds with Kilowog, and he was in a  _ hospital _ . Of course, all of that meant that Hal should  _ definitely _ open his eyes, if only to get some answers, so he did.

The moment his eyes were open enough to take in the room around him, Hal became  _ extremely _ aware of just  _ how _ bad Bruce looked. He was sitting to Hal’s right, now in his costume, the cowl down for once, and Hal could see a nasty bruise forming on the vigilante’s jaw, his eyes looking more tired than usual, and his normally slicked hair was actually falling in some spots. 

“Jesus… What happened out there?”

“After you called, other guests started dropping,” Bruce explained, “I had already built up an immunity to most of the poisons the League uses, so I was well enough to start administering antidotes while Diana and the rest of the team took care of the assassins themselves. Once they were finished, they began administering the rest of the antidotes while I went to find you.”

“Doesn’t explain the bruise. Or the… anything else, for that matter.”

Bruce sighed, looking away from Hal. He almost seemed…  _ embarrassed _ , which was kinda funny, because Batman didn’t usually  _ do _ embarrassed. 

“One of the poisons they used causes their victims to become violent before falling unconscious. Mrs. Hartwell has a pretty nasty right hook.”

“Mrs. Hartwell? Wasn’t she the billion-year-old in the hot pink dress that looked like it belonged to the Queen of England?”

“Maybe. It doesn’t matter. What do you remember after calling us?”

“I…,” Hal furrowed his brow, trying to piece together the fuzzy memories as best as he could. “You found me in the men’s room. You took my blood, I think? Said something about a third poison… Please don’t tell me I had been hit by the only poison you didn’t have an antidote for.”

“Alright. I won’t.”

Hal couldn’t help the slight snort that escaped him, nor could he help the quiet grunt of pain that accompanied it. He had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment as his vision swam, and when he opened them again, Bruce’s eyes shone with concern. It was a weird look for Batman to have, and Hal began to fully understand why he whited out the eyes of his cowl: If he hadn’t, his emotions would’ve been on full display for anyone to read. It kinda made intimidation hard.

“What the hell was that stuff, anyways?”

“It was a slow-acting agent that acted more as an  _ extremely  _ powerful sedative than a lethal substance. It targeted your nervous system, specifically yo--” Bruce paused, looking over at Hal. Hal wasn’t an  _ idiot _ , per se, but medical jargon wasn’t exactly the most interesting thing in the world to him. Bruce must’ve realized that, because he continued with, “Nevermind. The point is, the amount of the poison you ingested was  _ barely _ below the lethal dosage. The others affected by it… weren’t so lucky.”

“They didn’t make it, did they?” Hal asked quietly

“There wasn’t enough time to create an antidote for them. They died within minutes.”

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Hal muttered quietly, running a sore hand through his hair. “Did we at least figure out  _ why _ ?”

“We’re working on it. You’re on bedrest until J’onn clears you, so I suppose now’s a good time to ask how you’re feeling.”

“Like shit,” Hal muttered irritably, earning a raised eyebrow from the vigilante. So, he tried again with, “Like I got hit by a truck. Maybe two.”

Bruce sighed out, “You’re insufferable.”

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to stand vigil over me,” Hal paused for a moment before adding, “Thanks for that, by the way. I know you’re probably itching to get back to the case.”

“You mentioned… not enjoying waking up alone in the medbay a few weeks back. I figured J’onn and Diana would be able to handle the case until you were awake enough for J’onn and I to switch places.”

“Why not just have J’onn watch over me while you were worki--” Hal cut himself off, watching as Bruce once more looked away, embarrassment clear on his features. Hal couldn’t stop the smirk from crawling across his face. “You were  _ worried _ about me, weren’t you?”

“Maybe I was,” Bruce grumbled, standing and pulling his cowl on. “You trusted me to get you out of there alive, and when you lost consciousness… The point is, you’re alive now. Your ring’s on the bedside along with a glass of water. I’m going to go get J’onn.  _ Stay here _ or so  _ help _ me I will have Diana  _ tie _ you to that bed until J’onn clears you.”

“Aw, I care about you too, spooky.”

“I liked it better when you were asleep.” Bruce said dryly, though Hal didn’t miss the small smirk on his lips. He moved to leave, but he stopped in the doorway for a moment before he turned to look at Hal for a moment. Then, he spoke almost fondly, “And for the record: I trust you, too. With my life, with everything. Even if you  _ are _ a pain in the ass.”

Hal blinked in a mixture of surprise and confusion, but before he could say anything, Bruce was gone.


	2. Arthur and Diana

Arthur hadn’t grown up as royalty, but that didn’t mean that he took orders well.

Even before his fifteenth birthday, the birthday that had changed his entire life, he hadn’t been one to listen to authority. The only adult he was willing to consistently listen to was his father. Vulko had called it the mark of a royal. Mera had called it “genetic stubbornness”. 

Arthur didn’t care what it was. All he knew was that it took a very  _ specific  _ kind of person for him to actually listen to them as a leader. Mera was one of those people, and now he was married to her. 

Wonder Woman was another.

“Aquaman,” Diana called out, “The lifeboats--”

“I’m on it!” Arthur called back, rushing towards the side of the small cruise liner they had been sent to rescue from a group of honest-to-goodness  _ ghost pirates _ and jumping over. The moment he hit the water, he felt strength rush through his veins, his trident warming in his hands with something akin to excitement. It was infectious. 

His head breached the surface, and he made his way over to the lifeboats in the water. Most were fine, just filled with shaking and scared passengers, but there were a few that were having trouble staying afloat, something Arthur chalked up to poor craftsmanship gone unchecked.

“Attention passengers,” Arthur called out, “I am Aquaman, and I am here to help you all reach safety. I will be calling upon creatures of the deep to do so, so please do not be frightened when you see them. They are  _ very _ prone to gossip.”

That at least earned a few chuckles, alleviating a bit of the tension. Good. 

Arthur dove beneath the waves once more, calling upon various nearby sharks and dolphins and asking them to guide the boats to the nearest populated land, and very soon, the boats were drifting away. 

Arthur turned back to the liner, his eyes catching Diana as she fought off the spectral buccaneers, but before Arthur could help her, several things happened at once.

First of all, the ghosts all disappeared. That was a major red flag. Then, the ship shuddered, sending shockwaves through the ocean that instantly had Arthur on high alert. Then, finally, before Diana could dive to safety, the entire damn ship  _ exploded _ .

“Diana!” Arthur shouted, diving beneath the waves. He called out again, “Diana!”

His eyes zeroed in on the unconscious form of the Amazon, and with a speed that could rival a torpedo, he shot towards her, carefully taking her unconscious form in his arms. The debris of the ship around them proved hazardous, and Arthur didn’t have much time before they’d  _ both _ be crushed by it, so he quickly shot off in a random direction. 

Once they were finally cleared, Arthur breached the surface of the water. Logically, he knew Diana’s Amazonian gifts kept her from  _ drowning _ right away, but it still made Arthur nervous.

Another thing about Arthur was that he… didn’t have many friends. At least, he didn’t have many friends who weren’t  _ literally fish _ . The Justice League were his  _ friends _ , and having one be injured always put the Atlantean on edge. 

He must’ve been projecting that nervousness, because soon a dolphin, Rinklee, was breaching the surface, obvious worry for her king in her thoughts.

“My king, there is an island nearby,” Rinklee reported, “It is unpopulated, but it is safe. Legends say pirates even used to hide there!” 

The thought of potentially dealing with more ghost pirates didn’t interest Arthur in the slightest, but ensuring Diana’s safety took priority.

“Thank you, Rinklee,” Arthur replied with a nod, “Your help will be remembered. Please, lead the way.”

Rinklee preened under the praise, and did as she was asked. 

\---

They reached the island by sunset, and by the time the sky was dark and the stars were bright enough to connect into constellations, Arthur had found a cave suitable enough for a temporary shelter. He sent out a quick alert, just letting the others know they were alive and awaiting rescue. Batman sent back a message about having to wait until it was morning on the island. Arthur understood.

Batman was not the sort of person Arthur could’ve imagined taking orders from, a long time ago, but the man had proven his strategic mind time and time again, and Arthur couldn’t help but listen to the vigilante.

Speaking of listening, Arthur all but whirled around as he heard Diana groan slightly, shifting against the wall he had propped her up against after finding the cave. Slowly, the Amazon blinked awake, scanning her surroundings in confusion before her eyes landed on Arthur. Another blink, and everything seemed to rush back to her, because she was suddenly bolt upright, half-way to standing up.

“Arthur! The ship--”

“Easy, Diana,” Arthur said, trying to remember the ways his father used to comfort him in times of distress, as well as using techniques he had often employed while working with some of the more anxious of his aquatic friends. “The passengers were on their way to safety last I saw. I asked my subjects to report with their status once they reached it. The ship exploded, and I pulled you from the debris.”

“Good… Okay,” Diana seemed to relax at the assurances, which made Arthur relax a bit more as well. “Where are we?”

“An island. A kind dolphin by the name of Rinklee showed us the way.”

“I see. And you thanked Rinklee?”

“Of course I did. Just because I’m royalty doesn’t mean I don’t thank my subjects,” Arthur paused for a moment, then, realizing what he had just implied, quickly backpedaled, “Not that I think  _ you _ wouldn’t. I just meant that, uh--”

“It’s alright, Arthur,” Diana said with a slight laugh, “I understand what you meant.”

“Oh thank the seas. Last thing I want to do is insult a fellow royal, especially one from another kingdom.”

“I have lived in this world for some time, and dealt with a lot, Arthur. It will take more than poor word choice to get me angry.”

“Good to know,” Arthur said with a slight smile, slowly taking a seat across from Diana, a fire crackling between them. “You mention being older than you look a lot. Would it be rude of me to ask  _ how _ much older?”

“Hm…” Diana slowly sat back down, tapping her chin slightly as she thought about it. “I’m old enough to have fought in the first World War, watch as the Justice Society emerged, be invited to it but decline, and watch as World War Two broke out before returning to my home for several more years before returning once more at the tail end of the Korean War.”

Arthur’s jaw dropped. “You’re…,” Arthur quickly did the math in his mind, trying to recall the dates he had drilled into his head during  _ every history class ever _ . “You’re over  _ a hundred _ !”

“Older, actually. A little older than 2,000, I think.”

“Oh my god. Does that-- Are you really a goddess, then?”

“I’m ageless. Not immortal. I can still fall in battle, or to other outside forces, though it’s still fairly hard to kill me.”

“Oh,” Arthur said, and then, because he’s an  _ idiot _ , he added, “Like a lobster?”

There was a beat of silence after that, one that seemed to stretch into infinity as Arthur desperately wished that the ghost pirates would come back and just  _ end him _ , right then and there. Then, Diana began to laugh. No, not  _ laugh _ . Diana began to  _ lose her shit _ .

Arthur was looking about as red as a, well… He was blushing hard, leave it at that.

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” Diana wheezed out between laughs, “But-- In all my years, I have been called  _ many things _ . Not once have I  _ ever _ been compared to a  _ lobster _ .”

“I’m going to fling myself into the sun,” Arthur said, hiding his face in his hands. “I will never be able to look at you or a lobster ever again.”

“Oh, come on Arthur. There are worse things to be compared to. I’m really not offended.”

Arthur just let out a groan, which caused Diana to laugh again. Eventually, the feeling died down, though Arthur knew the comparison would haunt him in his dreams forever. They dwindled into a bit of small-talk, swapping stories from their childhoods and cultures. They even discussed their families, their  _ parents _ .

“I don’t think I could imagine growing up the way you did, Arthur,” Diana admitted, “It sounds so…  _ lonely _ .”

“It was,” Arthur said quietly, staring into the slowly dwindling flames of the fire. “I’m thankful that my dad decided to stay near the ocean, though… I got to have a few friends, even if they weren’t, you know,  _ human _ . Though I have to say, your life doesn’t sound like it was a cakewalk either.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean… Sure, you had your mother, and Antiope, and all the other Amazons, but you were pretty much the  _ only _ kid there, right? Not to mention the fact that you’re the  _ princess _ . Maybe you weren’t  _ alone _ , but it still sounds kinda lonely.”

“... I suppose it was, in a way,” Diana confessed quietly. “Different flavors of the same feelings.”

“Yes… Honestly, all of us were pretty lonely, weren’t we? I mean,” Arthur shifted slightly, sitting up a bit straighter. “Most of us have lost people we loved, or grew up as the ‘weird kid’, or just… didn’t really have many people there for us. It’s almost kinda funny, when you think of it.”

“It amazes me, when I think about it. We have taken this darkness, this cold,  _ aching _ feeling, and turned it into a force for good,” Diana’s voice was soft, thoughtful. “We have been forced to look at the world as outsiders, we see the cruelty of it, and instead of being cruel in turn, we chose to  _ change _ that.”

“I… suppose that’s true.”

Diana hummed in agreement, and Arthur yawned. He had no idea what time it was, but he was  _ wiped _ . Diana looked the same way, but there was something in her posture that left Arthur feeling…  _ uneasy _ . 

“I can take watch, now that I’m awake,” She said, “You look exhausted.”

“So do you. Are you alright?”

Diana grimaced. “I’ll be fine.”

“Were you injured?” Arthur asked, worry creeping into his voice, “I can try to find something to bandage--”

“I’ll be  _ fine _ , Arthur,” Diana snapped, then, after a shocked pause, “I’m sorry. I… I believe I  _ am _ injured, but nothing life-threatening. Just…  _ sore _ .”

“I see,” Arthur said, “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t entirely believe you.”

Diana gave him a look that was probably meant to say something like “don’t push it, fish boy”, but as willing as Arthur was to take Diana’s orders on a field of battle, when it came to matters of hiding pain and emotional turmoil… He tended to ignore her.

“It’s just us here, Diana,” Arthur stood, making his way over to the Amazon and sitting next to her, their shoulders just  _ barely _ touching. “I understand wanting to bite your lip and pretend you’re alright, but you don’t  _ have _ to do that. Not here. Not with me.”

Not with any of their team, really, but it was just them right then, and that’s what he was focusing on. Tackle one problem at a time.

“I’m fine Arthur, truly.”

“Hold your lasso and say that, then,” Arthur said, his voice firm. “Hold your lasso, look me in the eye, and tell me you’re okay. That you’re  _ only _ sore.”

Diana did none of those things. Instead, she stared ahead into the slowly dying fire. Arthur sighed.

“Have I ever told you,” Arthur said slowly, “About the time I had to go to the hospital for severe dehydration?” 

Diana looked at him quizzically. “What?”

“I was five, I think,” Arthur looked into the fire, the memory burning clear as day, even if he couldn’t  _ quite _ remember the smaller details of it. “Five or six. My dad’s old buddy had invited us to his wedding out in Nevada. My dad found someone else to take over the lighthouse for a few days and we left. It was the furthest inland I had ever been at that point, and Nevada isn’t exactly the best place for an Atlantean to be, even if I’m only half-Atlantean.

“We stayed in the city for a few days, and the entire time I felt weak, dizzy, and all-around sick. I didn’t want to tell my dad, though, because I didn’t want him to worry about me. He was having  _ so much fun _ hanging out with his old friends, and he already worried about me as it was, so I just kept pushing it to the side, hoping I would adapt to it.”

“I take it you didn’t?” Diana said. Arthur grimaced.

“Day of the wedding, I woke up, got out of bed, took one step, and next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. My dad was at my side, and when I woke up, he was the most  _ angry _ I had ever seen him. Just, absolutely  _ livid _ . He kept asking why I hid it, why I never said anything, and when I explained it to him, he stopped being angry. He just got…  _ sad _ ,” Arthur remembered the look on his dad’s face all too well. It haunted him. “He told me, ‘Arthur, my boy, you should  _ never _ diminish your pain for  _ any _ reason. If you’re hurt, then you’re hurt, and you need to tell someone. Nobody can help you if you don’t.’”

“But that’s  _ different _ , Arthur,” Diana said, obviously catching onto what Arthur was trying to say. “You were a child attempting to keep your father happy.”

“And what are you, Diana?” Arthur asked, their eyes locking onto each other. “Why do  _ you _ always shove your pain to the side?”

“I am an Amazon,” Diana said quietly, glancing away. “We are  _ warriors _ , ageless and powerful and  _ extremely _ hard to kill. Pain is… It’s not something that should stop me. My pain is nothing compared to yo--”

“South Australia,” Arthur cut Diana off, his voice sharper than it probably had any right to be. “Two months ago. Barry broke his leg, and you broke your arm. You both screamed when it happened, and you had to be taken out of the fight. Barry’s healed in an hour, but he was feeling sore for  _ two weeks _ . Yours took two weeks to  _ heal _ . You both were hurting that entire time.”

“And?”

“And you need to stop trying to minimize the pain you’re in, because it’s obviously  _ just as bad _ as everybody else’s.”

Diana snorted at that, and when Arthur gave her a look, she said, “I believe the expression is ‘the pot calling the kettle black’.”

“Okay, so maybe we…  _ all _ need to stop minimizing our pain in favor of other people’s emotions. My point still stands, Diana.”

“It does,” Diana said, nodding slightly. “I can’t guarantee I will always  _ remember _ that, but… I think I have a bruised rib, and I am definitely battered and will likely have a bruise from where I hit the water, but otherwise… I think I  _ am _ okay.”

“Good. Now, I’m  _ exhausted _ , and since I don’t feel like getting up, I’m going to sleep next to you, if that’s okay.”

Diana smiled warmly at him, using one arm to pull him right up against her side. He rested his head on her shoulder, and he could feel her gently rest her head on top of his head. The fire was almost dead at that point, and despite the fact that he still had no idea if that island would be home to a metric fuckton of ghost pirates or not, he was too comfortable to care, and Arthur let sleep claim him.

**Author's Note:**

> check me out on tumblr! 
> 
> dc: gothamhell.tumblr.com  
> main: fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


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